Ghost Hunt Volume 9
by lysiithea
Summary: This is three months after the Agawa investigation. The SPR has been called to investigate strange happenings at a boarding school/orphanage. The case was brought to them first by a mysterious letter claiming to be written from a dead person, then by a councillor representative of the orphanage school. Upon investigating, things are not what they seemed to be.
1. Prologue - Letter from the Dead

The following story uses the characters from Ghost Hunt by Fuyumi Ono. Otherwise the story is written by me and whatever coincidences there are in real life are just coincidences.

Prologue

1st November, Saturday, 9.05am.

It has been almost three months since the Agawa case. I am Taniyama Mai, high school student, 17 years old. I work as a part-time investigator at SPR (Shibuya Psychic Research), the Japanese branch office of the British Society of Psychic Research. Our office is located at Shibuya Street, on a second story of a small building. If you do not know where to look, you may not be able to find it, as we are not popular or famous at all. The office investigates paranormal activities, and as suspicious as that may sound, we actually do have business … sometimes, that is.

What with the attitude of our young boss, Shibuya Kazuya, 18 years old, most would-be customers would be pissed off, if not, intimidated away. Shibuya Kazuya, as he is known in Japan, real name Dr Oliver Davis, is a paranormal researcher with the British Society of Psychic Research. I call him Naru, short for narcissistic. He is extremely good-looking, extremely intelligent, and extremely confident. And he knows it too. His personal assistant is Lin, full name Lin Koujo, a Chinese from Hong Kong, who practices the art of Taoist magic.

With both of them back in Japan after their trip from England, life in the office is back to normal.

It had been a gloomy morning today. The sky was overcast and the wind was beginning to be chilly. I pulled my sweater closer to me as I ran from the train station to the office. Yikes, I was already late. In such weather, the best place to be is to be in bed, with the warmest blanket possible. I was late not because I woke up late, but I wanted to lie in bed a little longer. Sigh, I can just hear Naru's sarcastic response if he were to know my excuse.

'Ting, ting'

"Mai, tea."

I stepped into the office and those were the first words I heard. Don't ask me how Naru knew it was me. He was covered by the screen, and I quickly pulled off my scarf and took off my sweater.

"Hai, hai," I replied as I hanged my outer-clothes up.

I looked over the screen and was surprised to see a visitor. Both the visitor and Naru were sitting on the sofa in the reception area, the visitor's back was to me. There was a forbidding air around Naru and I can feel animosity emitting out from his black figure. He was also frowning. Yep, definitely in a bad mood.

The visitor heard my step and he stood up and turned towards me. I stopped in surprise, a gasp escaping from my mouth.

"H .. Hirota-san."

"Good morning, Taniyama-san. It's been a while," Hirota said, bowing politely.

"What brings you here?"

"I have something to discuss with Shibuya-san."

"Mai, tea," a rather irritated voice interrupted before I could question any further.

That certainly accounted for his bad mood. No tea and an unwelcome visitor so early in the morning. I hurried into the kitchen to prepare tea.

Hirota Seigi (aged twenty-four) is a detective with the Zero Investigation Squad of the Japan Police Force. The squad specialises in the investigation of paranormal stuffs or any unexplained stuffs which the normal police force cannot deal with. For someone working with supernatural stuffs, Hirota-san's disbelieving attitude towards paranormal things sure is a paradox. I wonder how he survived so far in his department.

We met Hirota on the Agawa case. He was disguised as a client's brother but was actually secretly investigating Naru over the death of his brother, Eugene. I'm not sure how convinced Hirota was, by the end of that case, of Naru's innocence, or whether he is still in disbelief of the existence of ghosts, spirits and the likes.

Anyway …

"So what brings you here, Hirota-san," Naru said as he sipped his tea slowly.

"As I said earlier, I had a case which seemed unusual and I would like to ask for your advice."

Naru remained silent, as Hirota placed a piece of paper on the table.

"This is a photocopy of the original letter. Please take a look."

I craned my neck forward to peer from behind Naru's shoulder as he picked up the paper and read it:

"I have finally mastered the strength to write a letter. My body no longer exists in this world. I had died and was given a funeral. My death was neither suicide nor accident. I was murdered. Unfortunately I could not see who the killer was. Someone pushed me from behind. Desire to know and to have revenge is keeping me from passing on. Please help me."

A chill ran down my spine. The last time the spirits have asked for help was in the Urado case, and that case was not pleasant at all.

I glanced down towards Naru as he placed the paper back on the table. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Hirota.

"And you expect me to believe that this is not just a prank?"

"Here is a photocopy of the front and back of the envelope in which the letter arrived."

The address on the envelope gave only the words: Police. Central Ward, Tokyo. Of course, it would be delivered. The envelope had the proper postage which was stamped with the date: 1st October , last month. The return address was Nishikawa Maiko, Itabashi Ward, Tokyo.

"This was the first of the letters which arrived. This letter was recovered from the corner of the room of the police officer who had thrown it away upon opening it. It was fortunate that this letter missed his wastepaper basket and ended up in a small corner. By the time the fifth letter arrived, the police officer started collecting all the subsequent letters and passed them to his superior. He also managed to find the first letter with the envelope, but unfortunately the rest were thrown away.

My department was given the case last week and I was assigned to be in charge. A letter with the same contents arrived everyday with the morning post. However, yesterday we received a different letter."

Opening his briefcase, Hirota took out two more sheets of paper and placed them next to the first two papers.

The words on the letter were large, erratic.

"I am very tired. I will have my revenge. Someone must pay for this."

The envelope was dated 30th October. The address and return address were the same.

"After I had received the case, I had done some enquires. This was what I have found of Nishikawa Maiko. Her death was recorded as a suicide two years ago. She was seventeen at the time of her death. Her body was found washed up along a river. She was an orphan who stayed and studied at a local boarding school which doubled up as an orphanage. According to the reports, her death was ruled as a suicide. There were evidences that she was depressed at that time, and a note was left behind, which indicated that suicide was the most likely cause, but now with these letters … "

Hirota massaged his temples as he frowned towards the letters.

Naru cocked his head towards Hirota. "This appears to be more of a police case. I'm sure your department will be more than capable of re-opening the case and investigate the claims the letter has written."

Hirota looked unhappy at what Naru said.

"I had gone down to the local boarding school to find out more from the staff. There had been some strange and unexplained occurrences in the school for a while. What I need to know is whether such a letter … is it really possible to be written by a spirit?"

"Does it matter? Whether the letter is written by a spirit or by a living person? You can still investigate the claims."

Naru looked at the pained expression on Hirota's face, and took pity on him.

"So what are these strange occurrences?"

Hirota opened his notepad.

"The teacher counsellor I spoke to mentioned that the school building has a history of being haunted. There have always been rumours and stories of students seeing ghosts, or hearing unexplained noises, and things moving by themselves when no one is around. However lately, such unexplained occurrences seem to be happening more frequently. She wasn't sure when they start, but a student was hurt by broken glasses, another was pushed down the stairs, writings on walls appear mysteriously. Those were some things she heard but it seems that there were more.

Also, she had given me a sample of Nishikawa-san's handwriting and I'm sending the documents for analysis. If the letter is written by a spirit as claimed, then not only do we have to re-open the case to investigate, we also have an angry spirit to contend with.

My department would like to humbly request your help as you are an authority in this area."

Hearing that, I can't help but burst out, "Does it mean that you now believe all these paranormal stuffs and ghosts and spirits and that Naru is not guilty of his brother's death?"

"Mai," Naru said sternly as Hirota winced from my outburst.

"But …" I looked at Naru as he shook his head almost unnoticeably.

I could see that Naru was curious about this case.

Hirota looked down at his shoes. "That is neither here nor there. However if …"

Just then, the doorbell chimed and a lady came in.

"Miyoshi-sensei …" Hirota was surprised.


	2. Prologue (Part 2)

Prologue - Part 2

The lady standing by the screen looked to be in her early fifties or late forties. She was of a small built and slightly plump. She was neatly attired in a smart grey suit under her grey coat, and her face was the sort of face you could trust your secrets with. Her hair was peppered with short grey curls but her face was smooth and unlined. Her eyes were bright and clear, giving you a favourable impression of efficiency but there was a slight frown clouding her expression. She looked quite worried about something, and her hands gripped her handbag tightly.

"Excuse me …" she hesitated, unsure.

I immediately went forward and greeted her with a bright smile.

"Welcome. I am Taniyama Mai. How may the SPR help you?"

Her gaze fell towards Hirota who had also stood up and walked towards her.

"Miyoshi-sensei?" His tone was questioning.

"Ah … after I spoke to you three days ago, I've been thinking about our conversation. I've spoken to the headmistress about it, but she was still quite reluctant to take any action. However, after what happened yesterday …" she fell silent again, and her hands twisted nervously.

"Ahem," a soft sound of throat-clearing. I turned my head and saw Naru still sitting calmly on the sofa, looking at the papers on the table.

"Ah," I turned back towards the newcomer and said, "Miyoshi-sensei?"

She nodded her head in assent.

"That is our boss Shibuya Kazuya. Perhaps if you would like to explain your case to us, you might want to take a seat. Could I take your coat please?"

The lady looked rather surprised at the appearance of Naru. She seemed to pause for a second, and turned to me to pass me her coat. "Thank you." Her voice was kind.

I put her coat up and went to the kitchen to make more tea. Through the open kitchen door, I could hear Hirota explaining to Naru that Miyoshi-sensei was the teacher counsellor he had spoken to when he went down to the school. He had told her that perhaps he might bring the case to consult the SPR and had given her the address if the school had decided to take action regarding the strange occurrences.

As for the claim from the letters, there was nothing to suggest that the case was not suicide, and he was hoping that the SPR would help to look into the supernatural aspect of the case.

I placed the teacups on the table and sat next to Naru. After all, I was a full-fledged investigator, although part-time. And since Taka (another part-time worker) was no longer working at SPR as she was busy with her studies, I had been doing all the work in the office.

Naru looked at Miyoshi-sensei.

"Please start from the beginning. I have not agreed to take on this case yet." He warned.

Miyoshi-sensei sighed inaudibly, then she looked up determinedly.

"I am Miyoshi Aoi, a teacher counsellor from St Mary Private Girls' School. Let me explain to you first how the school is like. We are an all-girls' private school at Itabashi Ward. Most of our students come from rich or famous families. The school provides education from elementary to high school level. We are also a boarding school and we have a dormitory for students who live far away or for students whose parents are abroad. In addition, because of the huge amount of funds we get from parents and the school board, the school takes in a number of orphans every year, and gives these girls free lodgings and a scholarship to study in the school. The headmistress believes that it is important that we contribute back to the society.

Since we are such a prestigious school, it will certainly be bad if news of this gets out."

Naru nodded his understanding. "We do not deal with the media."

Miyoshi-sensei continued. "The orphanage has a building by itself, which is separated from the dorm. Of course the students from the orphanage studies in the same building as the rest of the mainstream students. The building they stay in is not any worse than the dorm for the rest of the students. It's just … different."

She fell silent and looked down at her hands.

I felt puzzled why she suddenly seemed so defensive about the orphanage.

Naru gently prompted her. "And?"

"The building which houses the orphans is on the school grounds but it is separated from the school and the dorms. The orphanage is actually part of a mansion which was donated by the benefactor who started the school seventy years ago. I myself am an orphan who has lived and studied in this school forty years ago. I came back to teach and help at the orphanage upon my graduation.

There have always been many ghost stories regarding the orphanage. Even in my time, we were always aware that the orphanage is slightly haunted. But never before in my life has things become so bad."

Miyoshi-sensei reached forward for her cup of tea, but her hand shook so much that she was forced to put the cup down.

"Yesterday. At the orphanage. No. I should tell you from the beginning," she corrected herself.

"Things got worse a month ago. Before that, it was just the usual rumours that sometimes the girls see something in a dark corner which disappears if you look closely. Sometimes small things like books or pens or personal belongings would be misplaced. Doors would be closed when you're sure you did not close them or open when they're supposed to be closed. Or that you can hear footsteps running up and down the stairs if you are in a particular room at a particular time. I mean, there were a lot of stories, but none of them were serious or threatening.

Until last month. All of us saw it. A chair moved by itself and smashed against the wall. A girl was cut by the splinters. Words in red appeared on the wall. The stairs where you can hear footsteps? A student fell down, right in front of me. She was just walking up the stairs when she suddenly fell, as if someone has pushed her down.

Everyone in the orphanage has been on edge these few days. But yesterday felt different. The air felt hostile, restless. There was a chill around the place. By afternoon I decided that everyone should just go outdoors. Most of the students are still in school having their extra-curricular activities. At precisely 3pm sharp, we suddenly felt a strange pressure. And all the windows in the orphanage shattered inwards."

Miyoshi-sensei's voice was soft. It was as if she was still in denial over what had happened.

"Not only that, all the windows in the dorm and in the school building cracked."

There was a sound of silence as Naru paused in his scribbling. He was quietly taking down notes while Miyoshi-sensei was describing the events. That would be the hardworking boss for you. Me? I just listened and remembered everything. But upon hearing Miyoshi-sensei's last statement, I blurted out.

"No kidding! How is that possible? All the windows? Was there an earthquake or something?"

"Mai!"

Naru, annoyed.

I ignored him. "It has to be an earthquake! Surely for all the windows to crack and break like that …" my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth as I looked at Miyoshi-sensei's white face.

Naru sighed softly. The words 'baka' were unspoken.

"There was something else, wasn't there? Miyoshi-sensei?"

"The words in red scribbled on the walls. 'Someone must pay for this. It must not happen again.'"


	3. Prologue (Part 3)

Prologue - Part 3

1st November, 3pm

Naru had decided to take up the case. He had passed Miyoshi-sensei to Lin who spent the whole morning taking down the particulars of the school and other information which she had to share. Right now, Lin is checking all the equipment to make sure that they are ready to be brought out to the field. Infra-red cameras, digital thermal-cameras, video cameras, high-powered microphones, circuit televisions, monitors, digital temperature scanners, laptops, etc. The SPR has a mountain of expensive equipment, and it seems that Naru is forever buying more. It must be nice to be rich. No. It must be nice to spend other people's money. As a paranormal researcher, Naru has a lot of wealthy sponsors. It must definitely be his charming appearance (definitely not his character!) that makes these people have such bad judgement.

Higota-san has gone back to his office to bug the handwriting expert for the analysis of the letters. He also said that he will try to find out more about Nishikawa Maiko and get his department to approve of him joining us on this case. If the letters turned out to be significant, there may be a murderer at large, and he felt that it is his responsibility to help us since we have accepted the case.

I recalled the conversation we had after Miyoshi-sensei went into Lin's office.

"Eh, Naru," I asked. "Is it even possible for a spirit to write such a letter? If there is a spirit, then all those strange happenings at the orphanage is caused by this spirit right? It makes sense doesn't it? It all started one month ago, and that is when the first letter arrived. The spirit gets angry and it must have been the spirit's anger that fuels all these."

Higota-san nodded his head over what I said. "What do you think, Shibuya-san?"

"The coincidence in the timing of the arrival of the letter and the occurrences in which Miyoshi-sensei described is indeed suspicious," Naru said thoughtfully. "However, we must not overlook the fact that the letter could have been written by a living person, or it could even just be a prank. Therefore, there could be a murderer at large, and this case may be dangerous. As for a spirit being able to write a letter and post it out, I've never come across that yet." He shrugged. "Anyway, when did Mai become an expert in spirit manifestation?"

Arrgh, Naru, you idiot! Putting me down like that!

Higota-san chuckled. "I will continue my investigation on Nishikawa's case. There are a few more people I need to talk to. She had a boyfriend at the time of her death. The transcript of the interview with the police wrote that he mentioned that they had a small fight a few days before her suicide. But on the day before she died, he had called her and they had made up. He said that he'll come and meet her after his exams during that weekend. He also said that she had been feeling depressed for quite a while after one of her friends at school left and that was the reason why they had a fight. He was trying to cheer her up but she felt that he didn't understand her. Her boyfriend had a strong alibi at the time of her death, otherwise he would have been a prime suspect. He was devastated by her death, saying that it was his fault that she killed herself. If only he had been there for her.

There were also a couple of letters written by her before she died. Not really letters, but some scribings found on scraps of papers in her room. One read 'why did she leave?' another 'I am so alone now. I am so afraid.' The 'she' that was referred to was a close friend staying in the orphanage with her. And her classmates had said that she had been slightly neurotic and kept jumping at shadows for a few weeks already just before her suicide.

Also according to the autopsy report, her lungs were filled with water at the time of her death. The water in her lungs were similar to a sample of the river water in which she was found. It was a clear cut case of drowning in the river. There were no physical signs of struggle on her body. However there were a few wounds on her wrist that could have suggested that she had tried to cut herself.

Based on these evidences, the coroner had closed the case with a verdict of suicide. There were no reasons to believe otherwise at that time. She didn't seem to have any enemies. Anyway, I'm going to have a talk with her ex-boyfriend again later."

So saying, Higota-san took his leave, saying that he will join us at the school on Monday.

Naru is currently in his room, bringing Yasuhara-san up to date with the details of the case. Yasuhara Osamu (19 years old) is the other part-time worker at the office. He is currently studying at Tokyo University and comes in to the office in the afternoons after his classes. Yasuhara-san is an honours student and he usually does the research for our cases. He is fast and efficient, has a wry sense of humour and can be very shrewd when dealing with Naru.

My assignment is to call up the irregulars to find out from them if they are able to commit to this case or at least be on standby. The irregulars are Takigawa Houshou (26 years old) also known as Bou-san, a part-time Buddhist monk from Mt Kouya who is also a bassist and has his own band; Matsuzaki Ayako (24 years old), a self-proclaimed Shinto miko who is very powerful when the conditions are appropriate; Hara Masako, a pretty girl my age and a powerful medium; and finally John Brown, a priest and exorcist, Australian, 20 years old.

"Mushi-mushi. Bou-san?"

"Mai-chan? So when are you guys leaving for the new case?"

"Eh? Bou-san, I haven't mentioned anything about a case yet, so how did you know we are leaving for a new case?" I was confused.

"When did you ever call me if not for a new case?" I can hear Bou-san's somewhat exaggerated dejected voice.

"I …"

"Never mind, count me in. I'm bored. I have one more gig tonight though and I'll be ready to go tomorrow. Although mind you, afternoon. I need some sleep if it's a new case."

I told him the place and directions to the school and briefly gave him a rough idea of what this case was about.

"Doesn't sound too complicated a case," Bou-san said cheerfully. "Although Naru is right that we should be more careful here since it might not be all spirits at work.

Ah, and since you guys will most likely be leaving early in the morning, I'd rather meet up with all of you late afternoon okay? You will be all set-up then yeah?"

"Huh! You're just trying to get out of helping us with setting up the equipment!"

"Hey, those fanciful equipment of your boss's weighs a ton! And I am an old man."

"Yes you old geezer."

"Why you, young lady, that's not the way to speak to an elder!"

"Whatever. We should be leaving early tomorrow morning, Naru hasn't confirmed the time yet. I'll see you then!"

After Bou-san, I called Ayako, who said that she will be able to come on Monday. She had something to do tomorrow. I was curious and asked her what it was, but she was evasive, and she slammed the phone down in a hurry, after I gave her the details of the case.

I couldn't get Masako, and her grandmother said that she will get Masako to call us back. As for Brown-san, he said he will be down after our initial investigation and if we need him, he will be able to come.

Naru informed me to apply for one week's leave from school and told me to go back and pack and be ready at the office at 6am in the morning. Yasuhara-san will be going together with us. We will start the preliminary investigation tomorrow.

The case seemed rather straight-forward. If a spirit is the author of the letters and is responsible for the unrest at the orphanage, then we can probably exorcise it and leave the murder investigation to the police.

That was what I thought.


	4. Chapter One - Day One

Chapter One – Day One.

2nd November, Sunday, 7am

I yawned and stretched as we finally finished loading all the equipment onto the back of the van. The journey to St Mary Private Girls' School will take about three hours. Naru and Lin will be taking the van, while Yasuhara-san and I will follow in a cab with the rest of the luggage.

Yasuhara-san looked at me for the fourth time while I tried to stifle a yawn.

"Did you not get enough sleep last night, Taniyama-san?"

"I'm sorry," I blushed.

It was a bit difficult to tell him what actually kept me awake last night. Thoughts of the new case were in my mind. The letters Higota-san showed us didn't seem particularly threatening. I thought they were rather sad. The poor spirit, unable to pass on and stuck to this world because of a need to know the truth. Of course, I knew that Naru would immediately say that it was not confirmed that the letters were written by a spirit. Humf. Just the thought of him made my blood boil. Who in the right mind would make one report at 6 am in the office on a Sunday morning! Of course I wouldn't have enough sleep, having had to wake up at 4.30 am. Growl.

Then again, waking up was not a problem since I could hardly sleep last night. My thoughts had been filled with that person. He was still around. He was still stuck in this world. … Gene. …

I sighed softly.

"Are you really all right, Taniyama-san?"

Yasuhara's voice was full of concern.

I coughed and quickly changed the subject.

"So what have you uncovered from your research so far?" I asked.

"The mansion was built in the early 1900s. That was before the war. It started out as an 'okiya', a traditional geisha house, a place for the training of geishas and where they lived. During the war, the building was burnt down and rebuilt in a more modern style. The mansion and the surrounding land were then sold to a rich businessman, who decided to build a school in the area. He was the director of the school and lived in the mansion when he was alive, although the management of the school was left to the school board. When he died, his descendents donated the mansion to the school, as they had moved abroad by then. The head of the school then decided to convert the mansion into an orphanage and created a policy to take in orphans and to give them a good education as part of charity. The dormitory was built much later as the school became popular and many students from around the country wanted to enrol."

There didn't seem to be anything sinister about the history of the place.

"Currently, there are about 800 students studying in the school, and 7 girls staying in the orphanage." Yasuhara-san added.

"That's a pretty amazing research for one evening." I complimented.

Yasuhara-san smiled. His glasses glinted in the morning light.

"Ah, but that's what the boss expects. He would not want less. I've also typed out a report for him and passed it to him earlier. He must be pouring over it in the van right now."

An apt description for our boss.

"Workaholic."

"Did you manage to contact all the irregulars?"

"Yes, except for Masako. I will try calling her again today if she has not returned my call.

Bou-san will be coming later, and Ayako tomorrow. She said she had to do something today. I wonder what she is doing. John said he will come if he is needed," I summarised.

"It will be nice to see all of them again. How odd that Matsuzaki-san is unable to come tomorrow. One would have thought that she is usually very free." Yasuhara-san said.

"She's not working, is she?"

Yasuhara-san shrugged. "Perhaps she just wants to avoid Naru's death glares when it comes to doing heavy work."

We both laughed at the thought of Naru's cold face.

My thoughts wandered away and the journey passed by monotonously.

I stood in front of a large mansion. The sky was overcast. Dark clouds covered the horizon. A strong chilly wind was blowing, and I could feel it in my bones. Behind the mansion, there was a dark forest. The scenery in front of me was decidedly gloomy. I felt a chill running down my spine. I shivered and wrapped my arms around my body for warmth.

The mansion was a double storey building. It looked large and imposing, as if there were some secret to be uncovered in it. It was a solid-looking building, with many windows but it looked old and abandoned. At one end of the building, some parts of the roof had fallen off and the paint on the walls was yellow and peeling off. Green ivy covered one side of the building.

I looked around the place. There was a simple playground in front of the mansion. A playground built for the girls who had no home, no family. A simple playground with a see-saw, a small sand-pit and a swing under a huge tree. There was someone sitting on the swing, but the figure was half hidden under the shadows of the huge tree. I decided to walk closer to take a look.

"Mai, stop dawdling and come and help with the equipment."

A voice cut through my reverie.

I turned and saw Naru standing in front of the open door of the cab. He turned back to the cab driver and paid for the fare.

I hurriedly got out of the cab and avoided his gaze.

The sky was clear and blue. The late morning sun felt warm but not glaring. The mansion in front of the cab was a big two-storey building. There were scaffoldings in front of the building, and I could see workers working to replace the broken windows. I looked around and saw a playground, with a see-saw, a small sand-pit and a swing under a tree. There was nobody at the playground.

Yasuhara-san and Lin-san were standing at the back of the van with our luggage and they were unloading some of the equipment. Miyoshi-sensei was walking towards us from the front door.

I felt puzzled. Was I missing something?

There was a forest behind the mansion. I remembered Yasuhara-san saying during the journey in the cab that there was a river behind the small forest. The river was where the student Nishikawa-san had fallen in.

The mansion which was basically the orphanage was quite a distance from the main school building. We entered through the side gate which led directly to the orphanage. The main school building was about five minutes drive away, or about fifteen minutes on foot. The school dormitory was just next to the school building.

The school grounds were huge. There was a beautiful garden between the main school building and the orphanage. The cab drove away, and I hurriedly kept in step with Naru as he walked up to meet Miyoshi-sensei.

"Shibuya-san,Taniyama-san." Miyoshi-sensei smiled as she saw us. "I'm sorry to trouble you. Thank you for coming so promptly."

"I have prepared a room for your base as requested. It is on the ground floor, the conference room actually. Please come this way."

Naru and I entered the mansion first, while Lin and Yasuhara-san unpacked the equipment from the van. The foyer which we entered from the main door was huge. It was a large room tastefully done in warm colours, to make one feel at home. At the opposite end from the entrance, there was a huge grand staircase, winding up to the second floor. There was a door on both sides of the staircase. And there was a door on the right and left of the foyer.

"The staircase leads to the second level. The girls are all staying on the second level. To the right of this room, there is a corridor that leads to the general office, the music room, the drawing room and the living room. At the end of that corridor, there is a small chapel. The door on the left leads to the kitchen and the servant quarters. The door on the right of the staircase is the conference room, which will be your base. The other door leads to the dining room. The headmistress's room and office is on the second floor in this main foyer. She's currently out of town for business.

There are extra empty rooms on the second level. I have prepared two rooms for your usage. They are the first two rooms on the left when you go up the staircase."

"Thank you," Naru said. "If you could be so kind as to send all the girls down, we will start interviewing them immediately."

Eh? Not even before we get to unpack? Or lunch?

Miyoshi-sensei seemed to sense my unhappiness. She smiled and said, "I'll send the girls down after lunch. Lunch will be ready soon in the dining room at 12 noon. Besides, most of the girls are out right now, since it is a Sunday, they usually go out to town. I'll leave you people to settle down and unpack. If you need me, I'll be in my office, first door in the right wing.

"Oh, and I forgot to mention that I was unable to find the floor plans of this place. However, I have sketched a simple floor plan for your reference. I'll bring the papers to you later during lunch."

So saying, Miyoshi-sensei excused herself.

Naru opened the door to the conference room. I peered in and gasped. The room was huge. There was a big table in the middle of the room. There was a musty smell as if the room had not been used for a long time. Across the room was a set of French windows. I walked forward and opened them. A breeze blew in, and the curtains fluttered in the wind. Beyond the veranda was the forest. There were lots of bamboo trees at the edge of the forest.

"…. Mai …" A whisper in the breeze.

"Huh? Naru?" I turned and looked back at the door, but Naru was already walking back towards the main entrance.

I quickly shut the windows and hurried after him.


End file.
